Welcome to CanSkate!

The CBS Skating Club would like to extend a warm WELCOME to everyone registering for the skating season. The Club is a fast-growing one, one which continues to expand and grow. It is definitely an exciting time to be a member of the CBS Skating Club. We have a dedicated group of individuals heading up our executive and we have laid the framework to enable the Club to build on its previous years’ successes and offer an exciting CanSkate season ahead.

Please remember that we are a volunteer organization; the majority of our executive members work full-time jobs during the day, and generously give their time to the Club in the evenings and on skating days. We do not have any paid administrative staff or daytime office hours. We only have office hours during skating sessions, as our office is operated by parents who volunteer to be in the office while their child is skating. (Please see times below.)

Office Hours (during skating sessions)

The CBS Skating Club has an office in the Robert French Memorial Stadium next to the canteen entrance. We staff this office with volunteer executive members during most of our skating sessions. Our up-to-date office hours can always be found on the Contact Us page on our website.

Communication/Contacting Us

We do have a phone at the stadium, however, we do not accept messages as we do not have enough volunteers to handle the high demand of returning phone messages. The best form of communication is email (cbsskatingclub@hotmail.ca) and we try our best to respond to your inquiries within 24 hours. Please do not call the CBS Stadium’s phone line regarding CBS Skating Club questions, as they are not familiar with our programs and will be unable to answer any such questions.

Please refer to our website - frequently. Most often, your questions can be answered faster by referring to the website information, then sending an email. By clicking on the tabs at the top, you will be given many categories of information.

Please refer to our website - www.cbsskatingclub.com - frequently for updates and news items. Most often, general questions about the Club, its members and its programs can be answered quite quickly by referring to the information found on the Club’s website. The tabs at the top of the site should help you easily find the information you are looking for. You are encouraged to try that route prior to sending an email.

Your Family Calendar (when logged in to our website under the "My Account" tab) is a very useful tool for you, as the dates for the year are posted in the calendar section on the website and will show you exactly what days/weeks your child has skating.

Cancellations, Missed Sessions and Refunds

Cancelled sessions due to weather will be made up at the end of each 10-week program, but not necessarily on the day that your child would normally skate - it will depend on ice time availability. We update our website on a regular basis and if sessions are cancelled due to weather, we will try our best to post it on the website by 2:00 p.m.

If your child misses a session due to sickness, vacation, etc., we DO NOT allow them to make it up on another day. Your child is only permitted to attend the day that they registered for. All of our sessions are normally full and we have a limit as to how many we are allowed to have on the ice at a time.

If for any reason you would like a refund, please note that our refund policy states that no refunds will be issued after the second week of skating, unless it is for medical reasons with a doctor’s note provided. Any refunds will be subject to a $60 administration fee (Skate Canada’s fee is non-refundable to us) and less any sessions skated.

CanSkate On‐Ice Delivery

Skate Canada has developed a new CanSkate program based on Sport Canada’s long-term athlete development (LTAD) principles. Exciting new features include a fresh new look, new awards, great tools for coaches and most importantly a tested and proven new curriculum and delivery methods that guarantee skater success in developing stronger basic skills and developing them faster. But there’s more! The new program also includes specific skills that pertain to hockey, speed skating and figure skating. The result is a dynamic program that prepares all skaters for virtually every ice sport.

The Canskate program consists of movements using circuits to teach and practice skills. This format ensures little standing around and less time waiting to take turns to practice skills. Skaters will rotate to different stations throughout the session. All sessions will have the following components – warm-up, lesson time (group activity) and cool-down.

We are proud to have all of our programs taught by Professional Coaches who are specially trained and certified through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). They are on the ice teaching the skaters the skills and assessing their ability, and are responsible for preparing and implementing the lessons. They will have “Coach” on their jackets to identify them.

Also on the ice are our Program Assistants (PAs) who assist as required. These are StarSkaters who are at least 12 years of age and have passed their preliminary skills, or former skaters with a background in the CanSkate Program. They are on the ice to assist the coach during the lesson, demonstrate the skills and help supervise. They will also lead the group from station to station. They provide your skater with a familiar, friendly face and hope to spread the joy of skating by being a role model for the skaters. Program Assistants will have a blue jacket with “Program Assistant” on it to identify themselves.

CanSkate Helpers are our StarSkaters who do not yet meet the age or level requirement to be a Program Assistant. They will be on the ice to offer support to the coaches, PAs and skaters. They will be wearing a blue pinnie marked “Canskate Helper.”

Pinnies, Ribbons and Badges

This year we are excited to have implemented the use of colored pinnies for each group on the ice. During a CanSkate session, there are up to six groups on the ice. By having different colored pinnies for each group, the skaters and coaches will be able to quickly see where they should be on the ice. These will be worn over the child’s sweater/jacket. Your child should put on their pinnie before getting on the ice. Please be at the rink early for the first session to get your group assignments and pinnie.

Please return your pinnie to the table after your session, as these are to be kept at the stadium. As the pinnies were a very expensive purchase for us, we would appreciate your care and cooperation to ensure that we have these for many years to come. Please note the colors are random, and are simply a means of grouping the skaters – colors are not associated with a level.

Please remember no parents are allowed on the ice. Due to insurance policies, only registered members are allowed on the ice.

For those of you who are new to our program, the CanSkate program involves Pre-CanSkate (introduction level) and Stages 1 to 6. It is important to note that children move through the stages based on their ability. They are continuously assessed and will progress at different rates. Within each stage, there are three ribbons (Agility, Balance and Control) to be earned in order to progress to the next stage. Each ribbon represents the mastery of the sub-skills for that stage. These ribbons can be achieved in any order, at any time and are awarded on an individual basis. When all three ribbons have been awarded, the skater will receive a badge for that stage and move to the next stage. Not all children will be receiving ribbons and/or badges at the same time. This allows for faster progress for those who are ready to move up a stage. Please discuss this system with your child so that they understand that not everyone will receive a ribbon at the same time in order to avoid disappointment. It is possible for a child to move through multiple stages during the 10-week session; it is also possible for a child to remain in the same stage for entire session, both of which are perfectly fine! It is important to remember that all children will progress at different rates and will have their own level of success during the season. You will receive a report card at the end of the 10 weeks to update you and your skater on their progress, noting their successes and what they still may need to work on.

Volunteering

Skating, like many other group sports, relies upon the commitment of a strong volunteer group. Without the commitment from these volunteers, our programs cannot run. Please consider becoming involved with our organization. We are currently looking for two parent volunteers from each CanSkate session to assist with getting the children on and off the ice safely and in an orderly manner.

This requires the volunteer to be at the rink at least 15 minutes before the session starts to assist the children in receiving the correct colour pinnie at the start of each session and to collect the pinnies once the session has concluded. We would also need you to stand by the gate during the session to open and close the door, in case a child needs to leave the ice for any reason. The volunteer would also be responsible to ensure that the child’s parent meets them at the gate. This can usually be done by asking the child where their parent is sitting and waving to them.

We are also looking for volunteers to lead a fundraising committee and other positions as on our Executive page. If you are interested, please come see us or send us an email!

If you have any questions or concerns during the season, please feel free to send an email or stop into the skating office during your child’s skating session. Our executive members will be wearing blue CBS Skating Club Jackets to help you identify who may be able to help you with a question or concern.

To our returning skaters, WELCOME BACK and CONGRATULATIONS on your successes from last season, and all the best for this upcoming season. For those of you who are just joining us, we are glad to have you